Producers... Know your Frequencies!!!!

16 BIT · Post by **16 BIT** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 9:28 pm

I wonder why I have all these posts with no text

AdamJay · Post by **AdamJay** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 9:28 pm

sorry supster, but hopefully there will be no more dirty laundry aired in this thread. put the popcorn back

montrealbreaks · Post by **montrealbreaks** » Mon Dec 13, 2004 2:22 am

AdamJay wrote:something i do as i use many basslines in my tracks (and i'm speaking for Techno), is roll off the bassline below 100k, and give it a slight boost at 200k.
This gives my kick drum room to breath and not steal frequencies and makes compression sound, well, not so squashy.

Funny, I do almost the opposite, but not quite.

to keep the Kick from interfering with the bassline, I use peaks and notches.

I peak the eq on the bass with a moderate Q at one of the fundamental frequencies - that is, if it's in the key of A, I use 110 or 55 Hz and peak it. Then, at an ODD frequency that doesn't fall on a harmonic element (eg NO peaks at 165 Hz if I am using the key of A as it's a fifth - maybe 195 or something instead) I put a steep notch.

For the kickdrum, I reverse the numbers. The kick would get a peak opposite the bassline's trough, and a notch opposite the bassline's peak.

In each case, a max of about 2 db gain and around 4-7 db attenuation at the troughs.

This allows them to interact with each other without having to cut the subby good fatness off of my basses. FYI, 85% of the time I use analog modeling synthesis for my baselines.

If I find I have some problems with the low eq on the bass, I MIGHT put a High pass filter in at 30 to 40 Hz, but never higher than that - and I only use it maybe 15% of the time.

For me, the most important part of a good kick (I use 85% real drum samples in Battery, VERY occasionally synthesized drums) is the higher frequency transients at the beginning that give it the tight, "popping" sound.

But then again, I don't write techno... different strokes for different folks.

AdamJay · Post by **AdamJay** » Mon Dec 13, 2004 2:36 am

yea, same ideas really... cutting the bassline where you're peaking the kick with a little "Q", and vice versa.

Pitch Black · Post by **Pitch Black** » Mon Dec 13, 2004 6:11 am

AdamJay wrote:sorry supster, but hopefully there will be no more dirty laundry aired in this thread. put the popcorn back

Jeeez, I guess I tuned in too late and I missed it. Does anyone have the unexpurgated version?

was it kinda like Morpheus going up against Neo in the matrix?????
Roe vs Wade????
Bulgegate?

Enquiring minds want to know....

AdamJay · Post by **AdamJay** » Mon Dec 13, 2004 7:08 am

Pitch Black wrote: Jeeez, I guess I tuned in too late and I missed it. Does anyone have the unexpurgated version?

was it kinda like Morpheus going up against Neo in the matrix?????
Roe vs Wade????
Bulgegate?

Enquiring minds want to know....

nah it was more like Resevoir Dogs...
you know the scene where Steve Buscemi doesn't want to be called Mr. Pink, and asks the Boss why they can't pick their own colors, and the Joe, the Boss says :

"I tried that once, it don't work. You get four guys fighting over who's gonna be Mr. Black. Since nobody knows anybody else, nobody wants to back down. So forget it, I pick. Be thankful you're not Mr. Yellow."

the operative phrase being "Since nobody knows anybody else, nobody wants to back down. " two guys, in the same industry... not really knowing who the other one is... having a flame war.

its over now though. just watch Resevoir Dogs for the drama instead

logicat2001 · Post by **logicat2001** » Mon Dec 13, 2004 9:30 am

its over now though. just watch Resevoir Dogs for the drama instead

You mean...no one lost an ear?

Oh, great. I was worried for a second.

Best,
Logicat

16 BIT · Post by **16 BIT** » Mon Dec 13, 2004 9:34 am

Pitch Black wrote:
AdamJay wrote:sorry supster, but hopefully there will be no more dirty laundry aired in this thread. put the popcorn back
Jeeez, I guess I tuned in too late and I missed it. Does anyone have the unexpurgated version?

was it kinda like Morpheus going up against Neo in the matrix?????
Roe vs Wade????
Bulgegate?

Enquiring minds want to know....

It was a terrible bloodbath. Jay and Bit had hacked each other up texas chainsaw style.

Its started because I wanted to be Mr Pink and so did Jay. Then guns, machettes were drawn. Both of us are in serious condition at the local hospital.

Sadly it wasnt as cool as Morpheus and Neo. None of us are in tip top condition so it was more like unfit sumo wrestlers with weapons.

Jays spectacles were left in tatters and I need new teeth.

supster · Post by **supster** » Mon Dec 13, 2004 9:34 am

Pitch Black wrote: was it kinda like Morpheus going up against Neo in the matrix?????
Roe vs Wade????
Bulgegate?

Enquiring minds want to know....

no it was more like a nordlead through a delay, feedback at 100%, massive reverberation going with the send all the way up, then filtering out everything below 1000k and BOOSTING the Q on all the rest of it.

probably not something you'd want to stick around for

(but if you recorded it and fucked wtih it later, you might get sthing useful)

16 BIT · Post by **16 BIT** » Mon Dec 13, 2004 9:40 am

16 BIT wrote:Instead of priniting out th emassive one size fits all PRINT THIS OUT

sub 0-60
bass 60-180
mid bass 180-300
lo mids 300-800
mids 800-2k
upper mids 2-5k
high end 5k up

Im posting this again because its really all you need to know and much easier to remember than the original posters epic. No offence intended to the original poster whos post is very useful

AdamJay · Post by **AdamJay** » Mon Dec 13, 2004 10:04 am

no offense to you either, but
i think the original poster's "epic" was a bit more discriptive in what parts of a track occupy which frequencies in the spectrum..

i don't doubt that most people know that 0-60hz is sub, and the high end is 5khz and up. But the original poster was describing which frequencies specific instruments occupied so that you could pronounce them better in the mix. giving a broad definition of seperate parts' frequencies and general tips to keep them from conflicting with others.

sineus · Post by **sineus** » Mon Dec 13, 2004 11:56 am

Thanks for that; very useful. I wonder what people use (besides their ears) to analyse the spectrum. Any plug-ins to recommend?

kobal · Post by **kobal** » Mon Dec 13, 2004 10:03 pm

sineus wrote:Thanks for that; very useful. I wonder what people use (besides their ears) to analyse the spectrum. Any plug-ins to recommend?

there are tons of spectrum analizers out there. I use a couple. I'll post links to them.

emef · Post by **emef** » Tue Dec 14, 2004 5:25 pm

great thread, thanks for the guides

sweetjesus · Post by **sweetjesus** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 4:36 pm

*bump*